The present invention is directed to systems, apparatuses and methods for protecting, storing, organizing and/or displaying printed sheets, photographs, clippings from periodicals, handwritten pages, drawings and so forth. As an example, the invention is concerned with user-customizable ring binder indexing systems. Further examples are user-customizable sheet protector apparatuses and particularly those which are at least partially transparent so that their sheet contents can be viewed and those which have binder ring holes.
A number of protecting and organizing systems are known in the prior art. One example is shown in FIG. 1 and referring thereto, a prior art system shown generally at 100 is the READY INDEXxe2x80x94CONTEMPORARY TABLE OF CONTENTSxe2x80x94DIVIDERS PRODUCT available from Avery Dennison Corporation of Pasadena, Calif., and illustrated assembled in a three ring binder 104 with the user""s document pages 108 filed therein. The system 100 is sold in a package that includes the table of contents page 112 and a set of tabbed dividers 116. The illustrated prior art embodiment includes a five tab set, but the product is also available in an eight tab set, as well as ten, twelve and fifteen, months, A-Z, and 1-31 tab sets. Each of the tabs 120 of the tabbed dividers 116 may have a sequential number 124 pre-printed thereon, and each tab can be colored with a different color (e.g., yellow, orange, red, magenta and purple).
The table of contents page 112 has a series of pre-printed fields, one above the other, and abutting the right edge. Each of the fields is aligned with a separate tab 120, when the table of contents page 112 is aligned or stacked with the dividers 116, such as when filed in a ring binder 104 through the binder holes 124 in the table of contents page 112 and each of the tabbed dividers, as illustrated in FIG. 1. Each of the fields has a central block 128, a right edge strip 132, a connecting horizontal line 136 and a (blank) block 140 between the central block and the strip and above the line. The central block 128 and the strip 132 are printed or formed with the same color (e.g., yellow, orange, etc.) as the color of the corresponding (adjacent, aligned) tab 120. And the same number 142 (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5) as the number 124 on the corresponding tab 120 is pre-printed in the central block 128.
The user, after removing the table of contents page 112, dividers and instruction sheet (not shown), from the retail packaging follows the instructions on the instruction sheet to custom design or format the page on his/her personal computer using existing software. For example, he/she can use preset layouts in existing software such as MICROSOFT WORD FOR WINDOWS, COREL WORDPERFECT FOR WINDOWS, COREL WORDPERFECT FOR DOS, LOTUS WORD PRO AND LOTUS AMI PRO, following the instructions in the instruction sheet, such as the QUICK START!, copyright 1998, instruction sheet. (The entire contents of this instruction sheet publication and all other publications and patents and applications mentioned anywhere in this disclosure are hereby incorporated by reference.) The user thereby designs the section titles 144. (The user can also put titles in the table of contents via typewriter, labels and handwriting.)
The user then prints the titles 144 onto the table of contents page 112 using a laser or ink jet printer or copier. He/she then assembles the document using the custom-printed table of contents page 112, matching pre-printed tabs 120, and document pages into the three ring binder 104 to form system 100. A problem with system 100 is that only a single table of contents page 112 is provided in the package, and thus if the user or the printer makes a mistake in formatting or printing the titles or if the user changes his mind as to the desired titles, another package having another table of contents page must be purchased. In other words and more specificallyxe2x80x94the table of contents page 112 can rip, get dirty or wrinkled and thus some consumers find them to not be sufficiently durable; the page has a specific orientation requiring that the user load it in the printer in a specific direction, with printing errors resulting if it is not loaded properly; and since only one page is provided in a package, a printing error essentially ruins the entire packaged set.
Another prior art custom-designed table of contents sheet system (not illustrated in the drawings) is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,435 (Kline). Pursuant to the ""435 patented system, first and second tabbed index sheets and a table of contents page are provided. First and second labels are releasably attached to the front of the table of contents page generally adjacent to but spaced from descriptive field areas on the page. The page is passed through a printer or copier, and custom indicia are printed on the labels and in the field areas in the same printing operation. The labels are then removed by the user and attached by their adhesive backings to the respective tabs. The labels before printing are adhered directly to the page inward of the descriptive field areas, to a removable carrier strip, which is adhered to the front of the page or to a tear-away strip at the bottom of the page. This system does not have the flexibility in construction and is a little more labor intensive than some users desire.
Another prior art divider apparatus is illustrated in FIG. 2, generally at 200, and is commercially available as the CLIP AND CREATE VIEW DIVIDERS product from the Avery Dennison Corporation. This apparatus 200 includes a clear plastic pocket 204 having an open top 208, a binder strip 212 with binder holes 216 along its left edge and a tab 218, which extends out from the right edge and has an open top 224. Provided in the retail package in addition to a set of these pocket apparatuses, is a sheet (not shown) having a strip of perforated tab inserts and printed instructions. The titles 228 for the tabs 220 are formatted using templates available in many different software programs. The tab title words, fonts and margins are selected by the user on his/her personal computer using the program. The tab sheet is loaded into the manual feed tray of the user""s printer, and the tab inserts 220 are printed. The printed inserts 220 are separated from each other and the surrounding sheet along the perimeter perforations. The separated, printed tab inserts 220 and then folded and inserted into the tab holders through the open tops 224, as show by the arrow 234 in FIG. 2.
The desired sheet material 240, such as printed or handwritten sheets, photographs, clippings, and so forth, are inserted into the pocket 204 through the open top 208 and are visible through the clear front panel 244 of the pocket. The tab title 228 can be a descriptor of the inserted material 240 or can be a sequential indicia (such as numbers, months, etc.). The pocket apparatus 200, together with other pockets, can be inserted into a three ring binder, such as that shown in FIG. 1 at 104. Although this product is useful in, for example, personalizing school subjects and memory books, it does not provide for a table of contents sheet or other means of personalizing, decorating, indexing or labeling the pocket contents (240).
Directed to remedying the deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention has many forms and embodiments including the overall system, the apparatus component and the method of use. One feature of the present invention is a sheet protector that includes a clear or translucent plastic sleeve or a translucent or opaque plastic or paper envelope with one or more windows through which the contents of the sleeve can be viewed. The sheet protector is printed to enhance it and/or its content""s functionality and/or attractiveness. The sheet protector may exist in many forms as discussed below. The sheet protector may be printed with a decorative element on one or both sides with the design element to coordinate with its contents or with other items assembled or bound therewith, such as index dividers.
Another definition of the present invention uses a clear view table of contents sheet or page with a set of dividers. The sheet includes a sleeve made of plastic and/or paper that has coordinating tab colors and/or numbers printed on selected areas of the protector. The consumer uses standard READY INDEX SOFTWARE templates to lay out the tab titles on the page. He/she prints custom-formatted tab titles on a plain piece of paper, for example, and then inserts the printed paper into the sleeve. Thereby, the tab titles can be seen through the clear plastic front sheet of the sleeve. This table of contents sleeve provides durability and protection to the printed table of contents sheet. Another benefit of this embodiment is the consumer can print the titles on plain paper and if an error is made or if a change is desired, it can easily be corrected or changed by printing another sheet of plain paper and inserting it into the sleeve.
A further embodiment is to provide a printed sheet protector that is used as a photo page. The printed portion acts as a frame around each photo, bordering the photograph. The printing alternatively or additionally can be used as decorative elements to enhance the photograph. The sheet protector may have small compartments or windows into which individual photographs are inserted, or it may have a single large section to be used for a collage of photographs or a single large photograph. Additionally, the printed portion may have a special surface on which dates or journals to describe the photographs or contents, using writable inks or the like, can be written by the user. The printed portions can be decorated with themes of popular photographed events, such as holidays, weddings, birthdays, babies, sporting events and so forth. Instead of photographs, other visual sheets can be used, such as drawings, artwork, cover sheets for reports and so forth. As an example, it may be used by a parent to decoratively frame and protect his/her children""s early handprints or artwork.
A further embodiment includes the sheet protector sold to the consumer with an inkjet receptive coating that allows the consumer to print his/her own designs directly onto the sheet protector using his/her inkjet printer.
Another embodiment has the sheet protector packaged with a transparent insert that is printed with the functional or decorative elements previously described. The transparent insert is to be placed by the consumer inside the sheet protector followed by a sheet of paper which has been printed with the desired indicia by the consumer. The insert is preferably the same size as the sheet of paper. And the resulting product is a printed or preprinted sheet protector.
Another embodiment includes the sheet protector packaged with a transparent insert that has an inkjet/laser receptive coating. This allows the transparent insert to be designed and printed by the consumer with the design(s) of his/her choice. The consumer then inserts the printed transparent insert into the sheet protector, followed (or preceded) by a sheet printed by the consumer. The results is a custom-printed sheet protector, designed entirely by the consumer.
A further embodiment provides the set of dividers made from clear or transparent plastic having colored, numbered or otherwise indicia-identified tabs. The table of contents design is printed on the body of the first divider. The consumer uses standard READY INDEX software templates (or similar software) to print tab titles on a plain sheet of paper, which is placed in the binder or report cover behind the first divider. The tab titles are viewable through the clear or transparent body of the first divider surrounded by the appropriate design which is preprinted on the divider body. The page can be attached to the divider if desired, such as by a self-adhesive strip.
A still further embodiment of the present invention includes a lamination pouch that is preprinted with a decorative or functional design into which a consumer places a printed sheet, or photos and laminates by means of thermal lamination or pressure-sensitive adhesive. Again, the printing on the pouch can alternatively be done by the consumer with the pouch being provided with a suitable inkjet or a blank receptive coating.
A yet still further embodiment uses a single sheet lamination overlay printed with decorative or functional designs beneath which the consumer places a printed sheet or photos and laminates by thermal lamination or pressure sensitive adhesive.
Another embodiment includes a protector pocket having a tab divider extending out therefrom. The user prepares a sheet with indicia thereon and inserts the sheet in the pocket into a viewing position. The front sheet of the pocket preferably has pre-printed indicia thereon and aligned with the sheet indicia which is viewable through the front sheet with the sheet in the viewing position. At least one of the indicia of the sheet indicia is aligned with at least one of the indicia of the front sheet and with the tab. The other indicia of the sheet and front sheet are aligned with respective tabs of similar tabbed protector pockets when stacked on top of each other. The insert sheets for each tab section can be immediately behind the corresponding tabbed protector pocket, or less desirably inside the pocket and behind the sheet.
Alternatively, one or more decorative elements can be printed on the body of the divider, such as Avery Dennison Corporation""s TABBED SHEET PROTECTOR product (such as shown in FIG. 2). The decorative element can be popular licensed artwork, such as the popular POKEMON characters or the SWOOSH logo of the Nike Corporation, or it can be descriptive of the intended contents of the pocket, such as xe2x80x9cGeometry Assignments.xe2x80x9d A variation is to use a one-ply polypropylene divider; an example is the Avery TABBED SHEET PROTECTOR product that is not a pocket, but rather has only one polypropylene layer forming the body and the tab is still an insertable tab. This divider, pursuant to the invention variation, would be printed with one or more decorative or descriptive elements as described above.
The invention allows consumers to print information or designs directly onto the sheet protectors, thereby avoiding tampering with the contents of the sheet protection. This allows consumers to add temporary markings to a document without printing directly on them. Pursuant to another feature herein the consumer can customize the printing on the insert.
A further description of the invention is a system that allows consumers to print the table of contents page on a plain sheet of paper and view the tab titles through a transparent or translucent body of the divider which being formed of plastic and disposed in front of it, protects it. The paper sheet may be loose or attached to the divider by means of a self adhesive strip on the back side of the divider, or notches in the divider which hold the sheet, or clips on the back side of the divider. When the printed page is adhered to the divider page, the first page of the document will preferably not be the table of contents page.
In other words, disclosed herein is a sheet protector, which includes a clear or translucent plastic sleeve or a paper or translucent or opaque plastic envelope with windows through when the sleeve contents can be viewed. The sheet protector is printed to enhance the functionality and/or attractiveness of its contents or the sheet protector itself. The following are examples of some of the forms of the sheet protector:
(1) A sheet protector that is printed with a decorative element on one or both sides with a design element to coordinate with other document handling items, such as three ring binders, report covers and dividers.
(2) A clear view table of contents sheet used with a set of dividers; it is a sleeve made of plastic and/or paper, for example, which has the coordinating tab colors printed on selected areas of the sheet protector. The consumer uses commercially available READY INDEX software templates to lay out the tab titles on the page. He/she prints a plain piece of paper with the tab titles and inserts the printed plain paper into the sleeve whereby the tab titles can be seen through the clear plastic. This table of contents sleeve provides durability and protection to the printed title sheet. Another consumer benefit is the ability to print the titles on a plain sheet of paper; thus, if there is an error, it can be easily rectified by printing another sheet of plain paper and inserting it into the sleeve.
(3) A printed sheet protector used as a photo page with the printed portion acting as a frame around each photo, bordering the photograph. Instead of defining a frame, the printing can be used as decorative elements to enhance the photographs. The sheet protector can have small compartments to slide individual photographs or larger sections for a collage of or a large photograph. The printed portion may also include a space having a surface on which the user can write with writeable inks dates or journaling to describe the photograph or contents. The printed portions can be decorated with themes of commonly photographed events, such as holidays, weddings, birthdays, sporting events and babies.
(4) The sheet protector is printed with an ink jet receptive coating that allows the consumer to print his own designs directly onto the sheet protector using his/her ink jet printer.
(5) A sheet protector is provided (packaged) with a transparent insert that is printed with the above-described functional and/or decorative elements. The insert is to be placed inside the sheet protector followed by (or with) a sheet of paper which is printed by the consumer. The insert is preferably the same size as the printed sheet of paper. A pre-printed sheet protector is thereby formed.
(6) A sheet protector is packaged with a transparent insert that has an ink jet/laser receptive coating. The insert is designed to be custom formatted and printed by the consumer, and inserted into the sheet protector before, after or with a consumer printed sheet to form a custom designed and printed sheet protector.
(7) A set of dividers is made from clear or translucent plastic having colored, numbered tabs. The table of contents design is printed on the body of the first divider. The consumer uses the READY INDEX software templates, for example, to print tab titles on a plain sheet of paper which is placed in the binder or report cover behind the first divider. The tab titles are seen through the clear or translucent body of the first divider surrounded by the appropriate design which is preprinted on the divider body. The page is preferably attached to the divider, such as with a self-adhesive strip.
(8) A consumer positions a printed sheet or a photograph into a lamination pouch that is preprinted with one or more decorative or functional designs and laminates the assembly using thermal lamination or pressure sensitive adhesive.
(9) A single sheet lamination overlay is printed or preprinted with decorative and/or functional designs and a consumer places a printed sheet or photos underneath the overlay and laminates them together using thermal lamination or pressure sensitive adhesive.
The film or material used for the pockets or protectors can be polypropylene with thicknesses of between 0.0002-0.00050 inch; for example, 0.0002 inch for economy weight, 0.00024 for standard weight, 0.00033 for heavyweight, and 0.00050 for superheavyweight. Aside from polypropylene, polyester, polyethylene and vinyl can be used
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those persons having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains from the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.